I saw Sheila on an interview quite some time ago.
She said how she didn't regret any of her past as it brought her to where she was with Jesus (my paraphrase).
I'd like to thank her for that.
I went through some tough times several years ago and remembering her words brought me strength when many in the church had turned their backs on me.
I guess I deserved their reaction as I chose some nasty chemicals over the Lord for a while.
Christ sent just the right people into my life at that time to help get me through it.
Today I have a life I could have never imagined in Vancouver, BC.
Jesus is everywhere I turn.
I have a stunning wife and wonderful step daughter that only our Lord could have coupled me with.
I'd like to thank Sheila for her words and the resulting impact they had in my life.
She was a breath of hope that came to me when I needed it the most.
There are probably many thousands more she has helped that she will never know about.

Sheila Escovedo was born into a musical family.
The eldest child of Pete and Juanita Escovedo (she has two brothers, Juan and Peter Michael, and one sister, Zina), she started playing with the family instruments at the age of 3.

Sheila was obviously influenced by her father Latin jazz legend and timbalero Pete Escovedo (then band leader of the influential band Azteca) while watching him rehearse.

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At that moment, Sheila knew exactly what she wanted to do: she was going to be a percussionist.

In 1983, Sheila caught the attention of Prince and changed her name to "Sheila E.," and Prince helped her record her first solo album, "The Glamorous Life.
The first single from the album, "The Glamorous Life," written, performed, and directed by Sheila E., was released in the spring of 1984 and earned popular and critical acclaim.
This single went on to receive multiple Grammy and American Music Award nominations, and won MTV's Best Video Award.
"The Glamorous Life" yielded a hit single in the title track, and another hit for its follow-up single, "The Belle of St. Mark."

After three months of sold out performances in Europe and the United States, Sheila began touring as the opening act for Prince's 1984-85 sold out Purple Rain Tour, all while composing her follow-up album, "Romance 1600.
Released in August of 1985, "Romance 1600" raced up the charts with its mega-single "A Love Bizarre.

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In 1986, Sheila made her acting debut in the motion picture "Krush Groove," and contributed the song "Holly Rock" to its soundtrack.
Soon after, she released her third album entitled "Sheila E.," which included yet another smash single, "Hold Me," which went to #1 on Billboard's chart and had a fast-growing international reputation.
Instead of touring to support her own album, however, Sheila joined Prince's band, playing drums and percussion, for his European tour supporting his album "Sign o' the Times," a tour that Rolling Stone Magazine readers rated as the 15th best tour in music history.
Showing her strong family roots and love for Latin jazz, she joined her father, Pete, and fellow Latin jazz legend, the great Tito Puente, on a special concert which deviated from the pop and funk music she had become popular playing.
Later released on video and CD as "Latina Familia," the performance showcased her skills as a virtuoso musician.
In 1988 and 1989, Sheila toured again with Prince on his "Lovesexy" World Tour, playing drums and percussion.

In the following year, she appeared in the Andrew Dice Clay comedy "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane" and in 1991, released her fourth CD, "Sex Cymbal.

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In 1998, Sheila became the first female bandleader on late night television on Magic Johnson's variety show "The Magic Hour," and she co-wrote and co-produced the late night show's theme song.

Sheila has played on countless albums, including the soundtrack to "Prince of Egypt," featuring Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, successful Japanese artist Namie Amuro (whom she also toured with in 1996 and 2002) and Gloria Estefan's hugely successful "Mi Tierra."

Among her other notable appearances, Sheila performed at the 35th Annual Academy Awards with the incomparable Placido Domingo, the 1996 Summer Olympics and was featured in the "all girl" Grammy production opening number featuring Ellen DeGeneres.

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In 2004 Sheila joined Prince on the "Musicology" tour, which was seen by 1.5 million people.She also performed "The Glamorous Life" at the 7th Annual VH1 Divas, a benefit concert for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation that was televised worldwide, and appeared on the TBN network show "Praise The Lord" that received the highest ratings of the season.
In 2005 Sheila was a Featured Artist and Musical Director for her first gospel tour "Sisters In The Spirit" featuring Yolanda Adams, Martha Munizzi, Kelly Price, Juanita Bynum and RiZen.

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In the summer of 2006 Sheila returned for the third time and toured in concert with the legendary Ringo Starr.

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In 2006 Sheila founded her all girl group C.O.E.D. (Chronicles Of Every Diva) featuring Sheila E., Rhonda Smith, Kat Dyson, and Cassandra O'Neal, who went on their highly acclaimed first European tour in March 2007 with special guest Dutch sax player Candy Dulfer.

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In 2007, Sheila was chosen as one of the celebrity judges for American Idol Spin-Off "The Next Great American Band."

Founder and president of HEAVEN PRODUCTIONS MUSIC, a music production company, Sheila and company has been hired to direct and arrange music for the ALMA Awards (1998 & 1999), The 1998 WoW Awards, 1998 Gospel Music Association's annual event, and the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards.
She co-hosted ABC's Countdown To the American Music Awards with Wayne Brady, hosted 10 episodes of VH1's Arsenio Jams, and appeared as a celebrity judge for NBCs Americas Most Talented Kids Finals.
In 2003 she wrote, recorded and taped a montage for the World Series in Baseball.

Currently, Sheila, a philanthropist, continues to devote her talents and time to the Elevate Hope Foundation (EHF), a charitable organization (which she is co-founder and co-chair) that assists the needs of abused and abandoned children through music therapy.
Despite the demands of her commitment to making music, she maintains a heavy involvement in the organization.
"There are so many kids who need our help," she says, "And we're trying to help them get their lives together by building their confidence through music and the arts.
It's just another way for me to do God's will, another reason for living.
I believe we are here to help people in this lifetime.
We must give something of ourselves to truly live.
Sheila E. and EHF have presented countless events to raise money for the foundation.

Besides her charitable work through the Elevate Hope Foundation, Sheila performed on USA For Africa's "We Are the World," for African famine relief.
She contributed her rendition of "Mary Had A Little Lamb" to the Pediatric Aids Foundation with 6 million CDs and videos sold worldwide for the project "For Our Children.

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Most recently, Sheila E. participated in the third season of CMT's hit show, "Gone Country.

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Sheila E. was the Grand Prize Winner of the third season and has gone on to release her first country single & video for her song, "Glorious Train."

Sheila E. is indeed a multi-faceted drummer, percussionist, vocalist, songwriter, performer, arranger, producer, composer, instrumentalist and humanitarian.
Her gifts have brought joy on the world and have made her one of today's brightest talents, and she continues to be one of our most treasured stars.

Sheila Escovedo (Sheila E.) was born into a musical family and started playing with the family instruments at the age of three.
In 1983, she caught the attention of Prince and changed her name to "Sheila E." Prince helped her record her first solo album, The Glamorous Life, and she toured with him in 1984 during his sold out Purple Rain Tour while composing her follow-up album, Romance 1600.
Her various projects have included the Latin/funk band E-Train and all girl group C.O.E.D. (Chronicles Of Every Diva).
As the founder and president of the music production company, Heaven Productions Music, Sheila E. continues to serve as music director for a number of awards shows.

Prince met Sheila at a concert in 1978, when she was performing with her father.
After the show, he met her and told her that he and his bassist "were just fighting about which one of us would be the first to be your husband".
He also prophetically vowed that one day she would join his band.
The two would eventually join forces during the Purple Rain recording sessions.
She provided vocals on the B-side to "Let's Go Crazy", "Erotic City" in 1983/84.
Though taken under Prince's wing, she proved to be a successful artist in her own right.
In 1984 she scored hits with "The Glamorous Life" (#7 on the Hot 100), and "The Belle of St. Mark" (#34).
She opened for the Purple Rain tour and there was a segment where she would have a man called up on stage and seated in a chair while she sang "Next Time Wipe The Lipstick Off Your Collar" and teased him (similarly mirrored by Janet Jackson during the "Rope Burn" segment of her Velvet Rope Tour in 1998/99.) Around the same time, the collaborating duo began a brief romantic relationship, while Prince was still seeing Susannah Melvoin, twin sister of The Revolution band member, Wendy Melvoin.
In 1985, she released Romance 1600, scored another hit with the track "A Love Bizarre" (#11), and the non-album track "Hollyrock" made its way to live shows and into the film Krush Groove.
She was also nominated for an American Music Award and a Grammy for "The Glamorous Life".
Sheila recorded three albums during the '80s, The Glamorous Life, Romance 1600, and Sheila E. She appeared in four films, Krush Groove with Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J and Blair Underwood in 1985, Prince's concert film, Sign 'O' the Times in 1987, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane and Chasing Papi in 2003.
During the Sign o' the Times, Black Album, and Lovesexy periods of Prince's career (including the Lovesexy World Tour), Sheila E. served as his drummer and musical director in his backup band, dubbed The New Power Generation not long after her departure.
During the Sign o' the Times era, she released the single "Koo Koo" from her 3rd album Sheila E., which had Sign o' the Times member Cat as a backup dancer in the accompanying video.
Sheila E. also served as a writer and musician on many of Prince's records, as well as on the albums of his protégés such as Madhouse.
After leaving the Prince organization in 1989, Sheila E. recorded a few more albums, Sex Cymbal, Writes of Passage, and Heaven.
However, the albums garnered little attention.
This was especially true in the case of Sex Cymbal, since Sheila E.'s health issues prevented her from touring in order to promote it.
In 2002 Sheila E. appeared on the Beyoncé Knowles song "Work It Out".
Sheila E. was the leader of the house band on the short-lived 1998 late night talk show, The Magic Hour, starring Magic Johnson.
She played percussion on the Phil Collins cover of "True Colors" in 1998.
In 1996 she played with a band in Japan that back up Japanese singer Namie Amuro.
In Chiba marine stadium Japan, also available on DVD.
Sheila E. has performed three stints with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, in 2001, 2003, and 2006.

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Says Sheila E.: "Ringo truly is one of the greatest rock n' roll drummers in the history of music.

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Sheila joined Lauper on a live version of that song on VH-1 Divas.

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In February 2006, Sheila E. performed with Prince (and Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman) once again at the BRIT Awards.

In October 2007, Sheila E. was a judge alongside Australian Idol judge and marketing manager Ian "Dicko" Dickson and Goo Goo Dolls lead singer John Rzeznik on the Fox network's The Next Great American Band.

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Sheila E. recently met with Prince on March 29, 2008, who sat in on (and played keyboard) on Sheila E.'s performance with her family at Harvelle Redondo Beach.
On April 9, 2008, Sheila E. appeared on the Emmy winning program, Idol Gives Back.

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On April 26, 2008, Sheila E., along with Morris Day and Jerome Benton, performed with Prince at the Coachella Music Festival.

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On June 14, 2008, Sheila E. performed at the Rhythm on the Vine music and wine festival at the South Coast Winery in Temecula, California for Shriners Hospital for Children.

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On May 30, 2009, Sheila E. and the E Family Band will once again take the stage to perform at Rhythm on the Vine at Gainey Vineyard in Santa Ynez, California for the Hot Latin Beats concert.
Also to perform at the concert is Poncho Sanchez.
On December 13, 2009, Sheila E. performed at the Deryck Walcott produced Christmas Jazz held at the Plantation Restaurant in Barbados.
Sheila E. is the business partner of singer and former member of The Brides of Funkenstein, Lynn Mabry.

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Sheila E. first collaborated with Estefan on Estefan's first Spanish language studio album Mi Tierra in 1993, and in 2007 with Estefan's smash hit "No Llores" in which Estefan also collaborates with Carlos Santana and José Feliciano.

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Sheila E. recently won the CMT reality show, Gone Country.

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A video for the song debuted on CMT on March 7, 2009 following the airing of the episode of Gone Country in which Sheila E. was announced the winner.

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Sheila Escovedo (born December 12, 1957), known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince and Ringo Starr.

Emmy & Grammy Nominee, Drummer Extraordinaire, Percussionist, Vocalist, Songwriter, Performer, Arranger, Producer, Composer, Instrumentalist and Humanitarian, Sheila Escovedo picked up the drumsticks and started making music at the precocious age of three.

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Sheila delivered her first solo performance to a live audience two years later and has since established herself as one of the most talented percussionist/drummers and performers in the world.
Best known to music fans as Sheila E., she became a top session and touring musician before the age of 20, performing and/or recording with George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Billy Cobham, Con Funk Shun, Marvin Gaye (on his final world tour), Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Gloria Estefan, Patti LaBelle, and Steve Nicks among others.

In recent years, Sheila E. has served as drummer of Ringo Starr All Star Band, musical director for the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce' Knowles, and Prince.

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In 2010 Sheila was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Music Direction" in recognition for her leadership as musical director for President Obama's Performance at The White House: Fiesta Latina.